Bioleaching: An Important Approach for Metal Refinement
Keywords:
Bioleaching, Metals, Microorganisms, Reactors.Abstract
Bioleaching is a new method of refining minerals from their parent ores in order to obtain the required metal using naturally occurring microorganisms. These microbes are naturally attached to the mineral ores, they used inorganic carbon as their source of carbon, and they flourished in a low pH environment. Usually activated and cultured in irrigated heap and stirred tank reactors. The environment within the reactors must be highly aerated, very acidic and in addition, temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2) and presence of toxic elements or compounds are essential for the development of these microbes. The microorganisms work on the mining waste and dissolved the mineral into solution which is sent to the solvent extraction and electrowinning units where the metal is recovered at the cathode. Metals such as Copper, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Zinc, Nickel etc are now recoverable using Bioleaching process in many mining companies around the world.
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